Atlanta @ Baltimore preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 27, 2015 ) Atlanta 1, Baltimore 2

Baltimore Orioles general manager Dan Duquette made it clear to reporters Monday: his club is looking to buy in advance of Friday’s trade deadline. The Orioles play host to the Atlanta Braves in the middle contest of a three-game series Tuesday, and Duquette reiterated that he envisions the defending American League East champions making moves at the deadline geared toward improving his team’s postseason chances.

“We may make some trades, but anything that we do we’re going to try and improve our ballclub for this year,” Duquette said before the Orioles rallied for a 2-1, 11-inning victory on Matt Wieters’ walk-off homer. Baltimore has won three in a row and is back at .500 after dropping five of its first seven games after the All-Star break. The Braves have lost 11 of their past 15 after blowing a ninth-inning lead, and their past four defeats have come by two runs or fewer. Rookie third baseman Adonis Garcia has homered in back-to-back games for Atlanta.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, SportSouth (Atlanta), MASN (Baltimore)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Braves RH Julio Teheran (6-5, 4.49 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Ubaldo Jimenez (7-6, 3.81)

Teheran is putting together his best month of an up-and-down season in July, posting a 2.81 ERA in four starts while going 1-1. His splits in victories and defeats have been drastic – 27 earned runs in 28 innings in Teheran’s five defeats; three earned runs in 39 innings in his six victories – as have been his home and road numbers (five wins and a 2.37 ERA at home; four losses and a 6.95 ERA on the road). Teheran lost Wednesday to the Dodgers despite striking out a season-high 11 while allowing three runs in seven innings.

Jimenez won his final four starts in June but wraps up a miserable July in which he is 0-3 in four starts with a 7.11 ERA and five homers allowed in 19 innings. He was shelled in his first two starts of the second half, allowing seven runs on seven hits (including three homers) in 4 2/3 innings July 17 at Detroit and giving up seven runs on eight hits with three walks in 2 1/3 innings Thursday against the Yankees. Jimenez, who threw a no-hitter against Atlanta in 2010 while with Colorado, is 3-5 lifetime against the Braves in nine outings.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Orioles rank fifth in the majors in homers (121) while Atlanta is last (60).

2. Baltimore SS J.J. Hardy extended his hitting streak to 10 games Monday, while Chris Davis’ hitting streak ended at nine.

3. Atlanta closer Jim Johnson, who posted back-to-back 50-save seasons for Baltimore in 2012-13, allowed the tying run in the ninth on Monday – just his second run allowed in his past 21 appearances.

PREDICTION: Orioles 6, Braves 2